It's time to establish the pecking order in the CAA

When it comes to the start of Colonial Athletic Association play for the University of New Hampshire football team, there's usually no testing the water in the shallows.

Mike Zhe

When it comes to the start of Colonial Athletic Association play for the University of New Hampshire football team, there's usually no testing the water in the shallows.

Nope, it's dive right in to the deep end.

That's no different this year, with the Wildcats (2-1) on the road Saturday to face No. 5 Old Dominion (3-0), in what will be the first and could be their last clash against a program that's on the fast track to FBS status, and will join Conference USA next season.

This is the first real Saturday of conference games in the CAA, with four on tap, all potentially good ones. After three weeks of winning the non-league games they were expected to win against lesser foes, and losing the ones they were expected to lose — often against FBS teams — it's time to start settling the pecking order.

Here's how the teams line up at the starting gate.

1. Towson. The outright league champions a year ago looked solid defensively in beating William & Mary, 20-17, on national TV Saturday. Combine that with seasoned offensive guys like quarterback Grant Enders and running back Terrance West, and Tigers might be the league's most complete team.

Does LSU have anything to worry about in two weeks? No. Does the rest of the CAA? Yes.

2. Old Dominion. The Monarchs aren't eligible for the league title in their final season in the CAA, but they could easily leave a lasting imprint with a high-octane, fast-paced offense with quarterback Taylor Heinicke piloting an attack that's averaging 57.3 points a game.

"These guys, skill-wise, are possibly better than the Minnesota guys we faced two weeks ago (in a 44-7 loss)," said UNH coach Sean McDonnell on a CAA coaches teleconference Monday.

All-Conference wide-out Nick Mayers is a big threat, but the Monarchs haven't exactly extended themselves by playing Duquesene, Hampton and Campbell. UNH is the best team they've seen to this point.

3. Delaware. The unbeaten Blue Hens haven't done it against a daunting schedule either, but there's plenty to like on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, running back Andrew Pierce is as good as it gets in the CAA. Defensively, their line can wreak some serious havoc, even if the coach isn't getting too carried away.

"I don't think we're one of the best teams in this league," said Delaware coach K.C. Keeler. "I think we're in the middle of the pack."

4. James Madison. The upsides to playing an FBS power are the guaranteed, six-figure payday, plus the chance at making national headlines with an upset.

One downside is the potential for injury against teams that feature bigger and faster players. The Dukes saw that in their 42-12 loss to No. 8 West Virginia on Saturday, losing four more starters to various injuries.

"We're real beat up," said JMU coach Mickey Matthews. "This may be as bad as we've ever been beat up. ...; We tried to get out on the field to run a bit (Sunday) and it looked like we just got back from the Battle of Shiloh."

5. UNH. It's one thing to run the ball the way the Wildcats did Saturday against the likes of overmatched Central Connecticut State, when Nico Steriti topped the 100-yard mark, and Jimmy Owens and Chris Setian flirted with it.

It's another thing to do it against CAA defenses, especially with a largely untested quarterback. And, at high-flying Old Dominion Saturday, it will practically be a necessity.

"That's paramount," said McDonnell. "We've got to run the football against these guys and keep their offense off the field. ...; The best cure, being on the other side of it, is to make drives eight, 10, 12 plays, work on some clock."

6. Maine. Tough to glean much from the Black Bears' first two games — a 34-3 humbling at Boston College and a 51-7 rout of Bryant.

We'll learn a little more after this week's game against Albany, and then a lot more when Jack Cosgrove and his bunch host Villanova a week later.

7. William & Mary. Tribe have lost their first three games by a total of seven points, including a 7-6 loss at Maryland and Saturday's 20-17 loss at Towson. Quarterback issues abound but other pieces are in place for a turnaround.

"This is a team that can be 3-0," said Keeler, whose Blue Hens visit the Tribe Saturday.

8. Villanova. The Wildcats (2-1) ran for 244 yards in a 31-10 win over Rhode Island Saturday, a great aid to a redshirt freshman quarterback.

9. Richmond. Blowout wins over Gardner-Webb and VMI tell us very little about the Spiders (2-1), who were winless in the league last year.

10. Rhode Island. The Rams (0-2) accepted an invitation to remain in the CAA this summer, which is great news for UNH and Maine, but maybe not so much for Rhody.

11. Georgia State. Another program that's got one foot out the CAA door, the Panthers will join the Sun Belt Conference in the spring. But their exit doesn't look like it will have quite the panache as ODU's.

GSU is 0-3 after a sloppy, 38-14 home loss to Texas-San Antonio, its quarterback is hurt and there are already grumblings from the fan base about what this means for the future.

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